Matthew 9:9-13

            {Prayer}

            The central point, the main thing which the Christian faith is focused on is what? Jesus! In our catechism it says that “the Christian faith is the confession that Jesus Christ is the world’s only Savior and Redeemer.” In Acts 4, Peter is specifically talking about Jesus when he says that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (4:12). Paul proclaims in Philippians 2, “Therefore God exalted {Jesus} to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (2:9-11). It’s all about Jesus!

            From the beginning of the season of Advent, through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter and up to the Ascension of Jesus into heaven, the Church Year focuses on the high points of Jesus’ life. We prepare for and celebrate His birth, of God physically entering our world as a baby. Then we focus on the revealing light Jesus brings into this dark world. We then go with Him through His suffering and death on the cross for the forgiveness of man’s sin. Following this we celebrate His victorious resurrection at Easter and the promise of eternal life given to all believers. As Jesus ascends into heaven, we anticipate His glorious return where our bodies and this creation will be restored and will live together in perfect harmony with each other, with the creation around us, and with our most awesome God!

With the season of Pentecost, which we started two weeks ago with the celebration of the disciples receiving the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, we shift our attention on Jesus’ ongoing work in and through the Church by the power of His Spirit. We shift our attention to the life of Jesus and the life of the Church. Thus why we have green paraments. Green represents life.

            You could also say that the season of Pentecost is the season of discipleship. Starting today and over the next three weeks, we will be looking at the Gospel readings from Matthew and will be looking at the life of Jesus’ followers, His disciples. As we do so, I encourage you to explore within your own life how you are a disciple of Jesus individually and as a community.

            But before we get into our reading this morning, what is discipleship?

            Discipleship is that we learn from God, we follow God, and God leads us. It is our life as followers of Jesus who grow into a deeper and deeper relationship with Him and others. Discipleship is our life in Christ. Discipleship is the Body of Christ, the Church in action with the sharing of the Good News of Jesus.

            Unlike some of the other disciples of Jesus, the New Testament says very little about Matthew as an individual. Besides here in his calling to be a disciple in our Gospel reading from Matthew 9, we only ever hear about him when the list of disciples is read. We do know that he was a tax collector and that he also went by the name Levi. But really, that’s it.

            And yet, even though we don’t know much about him, there are some things we learn from this text, which we learn from Matthew which are useful in understanding our own individual life of discipleship.

            It all started with the call.

            The top hat, the goatee, the burning eyes and that long accusing finger, the “I Want YOU!” poster has become one of the most iconic images in American History. Used by the U.S. Army to recruit troops during the First World War, this poster became a hugely effective tool. The poster didn’t worry about what your background was, it didn’t care where you were coming from or what you did for a living. The U.S. Army wanted YOU!

            Jesus walks up to Matthew’s tax collecting booth. He doesn’t ask for a background check or a set of fingerprints. Jesus doesn’t ask for any information regarding his family or criminal history. Jesus doesn’t start up an interview to see if Matthew would be a good fit for His misfit crew of disciples. No, Jesus simply says to Matthew, “Follow Me!” “I Want YOU!”

            Matthew may have been a little surprised by this. At least that is what the famous painter Caravaggio depicts in his painting called “The Calling of St. Matthew.” In the painting, you’ve Matthew together with a bunch of other tax collectors. You’ve got Jesus standing off on the far right side of the painting, staring and pointing at Matthew. It’s almost as if Jesus is saying, “I Want YOU!”

            From Caravaggio’s depiction, Matthew isn’t so sure. Matthew, just left of center, is pointing to himself like “Me? You want me?” And if you look even closer, you can see that while one hand is pointing to himself, the other hand is still on the money. This is a moment of contemplation, a moment of separation. Matthew, even though he may or may not know who Jesus is at this time in his life, he knows that he can only serve one master. Which could make you wonder if Matthew was thinking about this calling when he wrote down Jesus’ words when He says, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24).

            We know from our reading what happens, Matthew gets up and he follows Jesus. Just as Jesus didn’t ask Matthew any questions, Matthew’s response is just quick. Matthew doesn’t come up with excuses as to why he can’t go. Matthew doesn’t elaborate on why he is needed at his job. Matthew doesn’t even ask Jesus why Jesus wants him or what it is that he will be doing. The Bible simply says, “Matthew got up and followed Him” (Matthew 9:9).

            Caravaggio here in his painting reminds us that the life of discipleship, it is not always easy and sometimes it involves separation. We all tend to get very close to our things, to our way of doing things, to what it is that we think we are good at, and to who we think should be doing something. It is hard to go out and do something on your own sometimes. It’s hard to try something you have never done before. Change is hard, no matter what stage of life you are in. The life of a disciple sometimes involves separating ourselves from something which is or was very important to us. I remember when I went to Seminary, my brother, who knew I was working on MBA straight up asked me … “You’re giving up a six figure salary to be a pastor?” Now I’m not saying you need to quit your job and go and do something totally different like that. Each of you have been blessed with different kinds of gifts, gifts which can be used in discipling, in reaching out to others and sharing with the them the grace and mercy of God. Jesus looks at you and me and is like, “I Want You!” “Come, follow me.”

            Matthew doesn’t give us much in the way of detail, but shortly after the call to follow Jesus, Jesus is at Matthew’s house having dinner. And mind you, this isn’t just Matthew and Jesus sitting down and going over the details of what it means to be a disciple. No, in addition to Jesus and Matthew, “many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with Him and His disciples” (9:10). In addition to many tax collects, sinners, Jesus, and His disciples, there were some Pharisees close enough to see what was going on.

            Those attending this meal are worth noticing. While Jesus’ call separated Matthew from his job as a tax collector, Jesus did not separate Matthew from his co-workers, from his friends. Whoever invited these people to dinner, Matthew was ready for them, welcomed them, prepared food for them, and served them. If you have ever hosted a meal, you know what a big deal this is and how much work goes into it.

            But here’s the point I want you to see in this meal … to follow Jesus, to be a disciple of Jesus, it doesn’t mean that you have to abandon everyone in your life. Instead, it’s just the opposite. Being a disciple involves bringing other people into an encounter with Jesus. Whether it is the first time or if it is a life-long Christian, we can all learn something from Jesus and have our faith grow deeper.

            After this reading, we know nothing about Matthew. His name only comes up when lists of who the disciples are is brought up. But this doesn’t diminish the significance of his life or testimony. Actually, it serves to highlight the idea that, when it is all said and done, a disciple’s testimony of Jesus is what matters most.

            Before Matthew wrote his gospel, Matthew’s testimony was done orally. It wasn’t until people approached Matthew asking that he would write it out so that it might be preserved that he finally took pen to paper. This suggests to you and me, that our oral testimony, as informal as it may be at times, is sufficient to create and strengthen faith among those who hear it. This is what it means for disciples to live and to love by word of mouth.

            The Call to Discipleship, it all started with a call, it continued with dinner, with social interaction with people, and with what was said, as informal as it may have been. You have the call. You are a child of God, you are a disciple, a follower of Jesus. Your words, your actions all matter. Reflect and pray … how is it that you can grow, how is it that you can intentionally reach out and serve others and be a disciple of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Amen.

            The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.